President Lee counters Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's remarks: 'Think about why independence is granted'

President Lee Jae-myung, at a press conference held at the Yeongbin-gwan annex of the Cheong Wa Dae on the 18th, pushed back against Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's remarks on 'judicial independence' (the principle that courts can render rulings independently, without interference from the government or the National Assembly), saying, "We should think about why independence is granted to state institutions." Asked by reporters about the controversy over his delayed nomination of a successor to former Justice Noh Tae-ak and his position on the remarks, President Lee responded, "We need to think about why independence is granted to state institutions."

The previous day, the 17th, Chief Justice Cho said in his welcome address at the 20th Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific, "No matter what challenges we face, the independence of the judiciary must be firmly upheld." Cho also stressed the importance of judicial independence in his speech at the Court Day ceremony on the 11th and at the Sejong Law and Culture Awards on the 16th, emphasizing judicial independence three times in official settings in recent days.

Chief Justice Cho nominated Judge Son Bong-gi, chief judge of the Daegu District Court, as the successor to former Justice Noh Tae-ak on the 18th of last month, but Cheong Wa Dae requested a renomination on the 28th of last month, citing it as a 'unilateral written nomination.' Three weeks have passed since the renomination request without any follow-up action from the Chief Justice. Cho, who returned to work on the 3rd after mourning his father's death, has continued to delay the renomination since his return.